Sirkap is the ruined city at Taxila laid out on a Greek grid plan, founded in the 180s BCE by the Bactrian Greek king Demetrius and rebuilt by his successor Menander. Walking it means walking a single straight main avenue with side streets running off it at right angles, past house foundations, a Buddhist stupa carved with a Greek temple front, and the low mounds of what were once shops and shrines. It is the clearest place in Pakistan to see how thoroughly Greek city planning took root in the region after Alexander's campaigns.
This guide covers Sirkap's history, the walking route through the site, what to look for, and how it connects to the Taxila Museum.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Location | Taxila valley, about 2 km from Taxila Museum |
| Founded | 180s BCE, under the Bactrian Greek king Demetrius |
| Layout | Grid plan on one main avenue, walled, roughly 1,200 by 400 metres |
| Excavated | 1912–1930 under Sir John Marshall; further work in 1944–45 |
| Time to allow | 1 to 1.5 hours |
A Greek city on the Indus plain
Sirkap was founded after the Bactrian Greek king Demetrius conquered the Taxila region in the 180s BCE, and it was substantially rebuilt under his successor Menander I, one of the best-documented Indo-Greek rulers. The city follows a Hippodamian grid, the same style of planning used in Greek cities across the Mediterranean and Central Asia: one broad main avenue running the length of the site, crossed by fifteen narrower streets at right angles, the whole enclosed by a massive wall nearly 5 kilometres long and up to 7 metres thick.
Later rulers kept building on the same footprint. Gondophares, the first king of the Indo-Parthian dynasty that followed the Greeks, added to the city in the 1st century CE, including its most photographed monument. Archaeologists have identified seven successive layers of construction at Sirkap, representing three to four centuries of continuous occupation by Greek, Scythian, Parthian and early Kushan rulers before the city was finally abandoned in favour of a new site at Sirsukh.
The double-headed eagle stupa
The site's best-known structure is the so-called Double-Headed Eagle Stupa, a small shrine built into the row of buildings along the main street rather than standing apart like Taxila's larger stupas. Its facade mixes traditions in a way found almost nowhere else: a niche in the style of a Greek temple sits beside another styled as a Hindu shrine, and above them both perches a carved double-headed eagle, a motif with roots further west in Asia Minor. It is a small monument, easy to walk past, but it sums up Sirkap's layered history better than any single larger ruin on the site.
Walking the site
Sirkap rewards a slow walk down the main avenue rather than a scramble between highlights. A practical route:
- Enter from the northern gate near the city wall and orient yourself on the main avenue running south.
- Follow the avenue, looking into the side streets as you pass them to see the grid pattern and house foundations.
- Stop at the Double-Headed Eagle Stupa, roughly midway along the site, for the carved facade.
- Continue to the Apsidal Temple mound further south, one of the largest single structures on the site.
- Finish at the southern gate, from where you can look back along the full length of the avenue.
Little of Sirkap rises more than a metre or two above ground level today, so a guide or a prior visit to the museum makes a real difference to what you can picture standing here.
Getting the most from a visit
Sirkap is a site that means much more with context. Visit the Taxila Museum first if you can: the coins, stone carving and Gandharan sculpture recovered from Sirkap are displayed there, and seeing them before walking the empty foundations makes the layout easier to read. A local guide, arranged at the museum or through a tour operator, can also point out features that are easy to miss on the ground, such as the layered building phases visible in some of the deeper excavation trenches.
Fitting it into a Taxila day
Sirkap sits about 2 km from the museum, an easy stop on a longer route around the valley that also takes in Jaulian monastery and the Dharmarajika stupa. Our places to visit in Taxila guide sets out a sensible order for the whole day, and our trip planning page can help if you're combining Taxila with other stops around Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Frequently asked questions
What is Sirkap in Taxila?
An excavated Indo-Greek city built on a Greek grid plan, founded in the 180s BCE and rebuilt by successive Greek, Parthian and Kushan-era rulers before being abandoned in the 1st century CE.
What is the double-headed eagle stupa?
A small shrine at Sirkap combining Greek temple and Hindu shrine designs beneath a carved double-headed eagle, built under the Indo-Parthian king Gondophares in the 1st century CE.
How long does it take to see Sirkap?
Around an hour to an hour and a half for a full walk down the main avenue and side streets.
Who excavated Sirkap?
British archaeologist Sir John Marshall directed excavations from 1912 to 1930, with a further season led by Sir Mortimer Wheeler in 1944 and 1945.
Should I visit the Taxila Museum before Sirkap?
Yes, if your schedule allows it. Many of the objects found at Sirkap are displayed there, and seeing them first makes the site's low foundations easier to interpret.
